Stories for May 2015

Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 09:34 UTC
Mujica's book rekindles Brazilian scandal involving Lula da Silva

Uruguay's president Jose Mujica has now denied alleged statements collected in a book about his life written by two journalists, that he personally presented last Sunday in Buenos Aires and in which there is a mention to former president Lula da Silva and the 'mensalao', one of Brazil's largest corruption scandals involving monthly payments to have bills passed by Congress.
Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 09:23 UTC
PM Cameron confirms economic policy: names Osborne first secretary of state

Prime Minister David Cameron reappointed George Osborne as his finance minister on Friday and gave him a bigger cabinet role after Britain's economic recovery helped their party to an unexpectedly big election victory.
Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 09:06 UTC
Tory majority government, but looking to Scottish independentists' landslide

Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives won a stunning victory in Britain's election on Friday, which cut short the careers of his top three rivals and put the country's European Union future in doubt.
Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 08:57 UTC
Nicola Sturgeon 'tectonic plates of Scottish politics” promises to fight austerity imposed by Tory government

Scottish nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon on Friday held out the possibility of a new independence referendum – but not immediately – after her party's crushing victory north of the border in a British national election.
Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 08:46 UTC
US economy created 233.000 new jobs in April and unemployment falls to 5.5%

Employers in the US created 223,000 new jobs in April, a much larger increase than the month before. At the same time, the US Department of Labor said the unemployment rate dropped to a seven-year low of 5.4%, down from 5.5% in March.
Saturday, May 9th 2015 - 08:37 UTC
Tourism boom in Cuba: Europeans want to enjoy the island “before the Americans arrive”

The Cuban government says it has prepared for a surge in tourist arrivals with an airport expansion plan and new luxury hotels under construction in Havana and popular beach resorts like Varadero. But according to tour operators, it is already getting difficult to find available hotel rooms or reserve tables at popular restaurants, especially during the high season.
Friday, May 8th 2015 - 18:34 UTC
David vs. Goliath: small-cap tech to save giant coal

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new mercury pollution regulations that took effect last month opened the flood gates for a new multi-billion-dollar energy industry that has investors scrambling to get in on second-generation technology poised for massive revenue gains.
Friday, May 8th 2015 - 10:54 UTC
China superpower? It relies on imports for energy, iron and...water (for food)

Among the mountain of statistics produced by China every year, there is one impossible to ignore: according to the Ministry of Land and Resources 61.5% of China's ground water is too dangerous even to touch, which means that along with being unsuitable for agriculture or drinking this water is unfit for any human contact.
Friday, May 8th 2015 - 08:21 UTC
IAATO agrees to ban recreational use of UAVs in Antarctica’s coastal areas

International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) members have agreed that, for the 2015-16 season, they will not allow the recreational use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the unique, and often wildlife rich, coastal areas of Antarctica.
Friday, May 8th 2015 - 08:13 UTC
Fed warns stock market levels present 'potential dangers', but sees “no bubbles forming”

The chair of the US Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, has warned stock market levels present “potential dangers”, insisting current valuations, which have seen key US and UK indicators reach record levels, were “quite high”. However she did not see 'any bubbles forming'.